On discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the Agencies for the financial year 2022: performance, financial management and control
EMPL-AD-752899
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs · Rapporteur: Romana Tomc
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The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs suggests amendments to the Committee on Budgetary Control for the 2022 discharge of EU agencies in employment and social affairs.¶ It praises the agencies' expertise and calls for sufficient staff and resources, welcomes unqualified audit opinions, and urges action on the Court of Auditors' observations.¶¶¶ It asks for better public procurement, gender balance, less administrative burden, and continued cooperation among the agencies.¶¶¶
Committee position. The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs calls on the Committee on Budgetary Control to incorporate its suggestions into the motion for a resolution on the 2022 discharge of the agencies.¶
Key points
- Stresses the valuable role of Union agencies and calls for sufficient staff, stable employment, material resources and high-quality social dialogue.¶
- Welcomes the European Court of Auditors' unqualified audit opinions on the reliability of all agencies' accounts and on the legality and regularity of revenue and payments.¶
- Recalls that the yearly exchange of views in the EMPL committee helps align agency work programmes and strategies with political priorities, including the European Pillar of Social Rights and the Porto targets.¶
- Welcomes the first-time participation of Executive Directors of ETF, ELA, FRA and EIGE in Eurofound's Management Board meeting and encourages close collaboration among agencies.¶
- Calls on all agencies to improve public procurement procedures and use the social clause in the EU Public Procurement Directive to ensure compliance with environmental, social and labour obligations.¶
- Highlights that transparency and citizens' awareness of the agencies are essential for their democratic accountability.¶
- Notes observations made to Cedefop, ELA, ETF, EU-OSHA and Eurofound and urges the agencies to address them and improve internal procedures.¶
- Welcomes corrective actions taken by the agencies on the Court's 2021 observations and calls on them to complete the remaining open actions.¶
- Welcomes deepened cooperation within the European Union Agencies Network and encourages collaboration among agencies under the EMPL committee to ensure synergies and share resources.¶
- Calls on the Commission to ensure access to relevant funding to promote social dialogue, noting the agencies' crucial role in enhancing social dialogue with EU institutions.¶
- Welcomes the Commission communication on long-term competitiveness aiming to simplify reporting requirements by 25 % and calls on agencies to streamline internal procedures to reduce administrative burdens.¶
- Recalls that gender balance must be ensured within the agencies, regrets the absence of gender equality in the EUAN multiannual strategy 2021-2027, and calls for data collection and alignment with the Commission's 50 % gender balance aim by the end of 2024.¶
Who is affected
- EU agencies in employment and social affairs (Cedefop, Eurofound, EU-OSHA, ETF, ELA): called on to address audit observations and improve procedures.¶¶
- The Commission: asked to ensure access to funding for social dialogue.¶
- The European Union Agencies Network (EUAN): called on to integrate gender equality into its strategies.¶